Duck-Creek-Guide

Wanderungen in Cedar Breaks

Alle Wege des Monuments - Wildblumenwiesen, Bristlecone-Kiefern und Aussicht vom Rand auf 10.000 Fuß

Cedar Breaks hat ein kleines, aber starkes Trail-System - nur wenige Hauptwege und ein kurzer Verbindungsweg. Das macht die Planung einfach, aber die Höhe macht jeden Kilometer spuerrbar.

Die meisten Besucher bleiben an den Aussichtspunkten, aber die Trails geben dir ein anderes Gefuehl für das Monument: Alpine Pond fuehrt in eine ruhige subalpine Wiese, Spectra Point und Ramparts laufen am Rand des Amphitheaters entlang an uralten Baeumen vorbei.

Alle Trails auf einen Blick

Trail	Start	Distance	Climb	Time	Surface	Dogs	Best for
Alpine Pond loop	Chessmen Ridge Overlook, 10,461 ft	2 mi loop (1 mi short loop)	250 ft	45 to 90 min	Dirt	No	Wildflowers, the pond, one rim view
South Rim Trail to Spectra Point	Point Supreme, 10,350 ft	2 mi round trip	Under 100 ft	1 hr	Dirt, exposed	No	Oldest bristlecones, strongest rock color
South Rim Trail to Ramparts	Point Supreme, 10,350 ft	4 mi round trip	400 ft down and back up	2 to 3 hrs	Dirt, exposed	No	The widest view; quiet
Sunset Trail	Point Supreme or Sunset View	2 mi round trip	About 100 ft	45 to 60 min	Paved, accessible	Yes, leashed	Sunset; the only dog-friendly trail
Campground Trail	Point Supreme Campground	0.5 mi	Nearly flat	15 to 25 min	Level, accessible	No	Meadow flowers with a stroller

Distances and elevations from the National Park Service. All trailheads are on Highway 148 with paved parking; the entrance fee is $25 per vehicle for seven days.

Easy trails

For families, first visits, and anyone who wants the scenery without the effort.

Alpine Pond Trail

2-Meilen-Runde 250 Fuß 45-90 Minuten

Die typische Cedar-Breaks-Wanderung und die Tour, die die meisten Besucher zuerst machen sollten. Eine sanfte Runde durch Wildblumenwiesen und Bristlecone-Kiefern zu einem stillen subalpinen Teich auf über 10.000 Fuß.

Tipp: Die Hauptblüte liegt meist zwischen Mitte Juli und Anfang August. Nimm eine Schicht mit - der Wind auf 10.000 Fuß kann selbst an sonnigen Nachmittagen schnell kalt werden.

Campground Trail

1 Meile einfache Strecke 100 Fuß 20-30 Minuten

Kurzer Verbindungsweg zwischen Point Supreme Campground und dem Bereich des Visitor Centers. Flach, schattig und gut zum Beinevertreten.

Tipp: Funktioniert gut als Aufwärmrunde vor Alpine Pond oder den Aussichtspunkten. Kinder und Hunde auf angeleinten, befestigten Abschnitten kommen gut zurecht.

Sunset Trail

2 Meilen hin und zurück ~100 Fuß 45-60 Minuten

Ein asphaltierter, barrierefreier Weg am Rand des Amphitheaters zwischen Point Supreme und Sunset View, mit dem Picknickplatz etwa auf halber Strecke. Sanfte Steigungen, Rastplätze und durchgehende Blicke ins Amphitheater. Es ist außerdem der einzige Trail im Monument, auf dem angeleinte Hunde erlaubt sind.

Tipp: Geh den Weg am Abend, sodass du 30 Minuten vor Sonnenuntergang am Sunset View bist, und spaziere in der Dämmerung zurück - für das letzte Stück eine Stirnlampe mitnehmen.

The moderate one

More distance, more exposure, and a real climb back at altitude. This is the walk for hikers who want the full rim.

Spectra Point / Ramparts Trail

4 Meilen hin und zurück 400 Fuß 2-3 Stunden

Der längere Rim-Trail in Cedar Breaks. Er folgt dem Amphitheater-Rand nach Süden an uralten Bristlecone-Kiefern vorbei bis Spectra Point und Ramparts Overlook.

Tipp: Früh starten. Der Trail ist exponiert und Nachmittagsgewitter sind im Juli und August häufig. Viel Wasser und Sonnenschutz mitnehmen.

Der South Rim Trail, Etappe fuer Etappe

Point Supreme, 10,350 ft

Park at the visitor center. The trail leaves the rim walk south of the overlook and follows the edge through the first bristlecones within minutes.
The bristlecone rim

The oldest trees in the monument, more than 1,600 years, on the exposed white ground along the edge. Wind here on most days; the views open at every bend.
Spectra Point, mile 1

The park says the rock colors are strongest from here. Most people turn around, which makes this an easy hour. Look down: the endemic gilia grows in the gravel by the trail.
Ramparts Overlook, mile 2, 9,952 ft

The trail leaves the rim and drops about 400 feet through spruce and fir to a second promontory with the widest panorama on the trail. The climb back is the hard part.
The Bartizan, 9,725 ft

The trail continues to the southern boundary and a natural arch in the fins, another 275 feet down. Rarely walked; the park rates the full route moderate to hard. Turn around at Ramparts unless you have the afternoon and the water.

Exposed the whole way. In July and August be off the rim by early afternoon.

Trailheads und Wegpunkte

The rim trail runs south-west from Point Supreme through Spectra Point and Ramparts to the Bartizan; the Alpine Pond loop sits east of the road between Chessmen Ridge and the pond; the Sunset Trail follows the rim between Point Supreme and Sunset View. Tap a pin for the note.

The drive from the inn
Highway 148 through the monument
Overlook
Trail point
Visitor center
Campground

Trail points are green, overlooks amber. The dashed line is Highway 148 through the monument.

Wandern auf 10.000 Fuss

Every trailhead here is higher than any point in Bryce Canyon and 6,000 feet above Zion Canyon. The air at 10,350 feet holds about a third less oxygen than at sea level, which is why the first climb feels harder than it looks and why the park's own advice is to slow down, drink, and eat. Coming from the inn at 8,455 feet helps; coming from Las Vegas or St. George the same morning does not. Headache, nausea and unusual breathlessness are the signs to turn around and lose elevation, and the car is never more than two miles away.

The other altitude hazard is lightning. The rim trails are the most exposed ground on the plateau, and the park warns that storms are common and dangerous in the afternoons. Walk in the morning, watch the western sky, and treat a building cumulus as a schedule.

Combining trails with the overlooks

The best Cedar Breaks day pairs a trail with the overlooks. Start at Point Supreme for the visitor center and the first view, walk the rim trail to Spectra Point and back, drive north to Chessmen Ridge for the Alpine Pond loop, then finish at Sunset View and North View on the way out. That is a solid four hours and covers everything without hurrying.

If you want a shorter version, do Alpine Pond and the overlooks in a morning, about two and a half hours, and come back for sunset on the same pass. The Sunset Trail is the evening walk: time it so you reach Sunset View 45 minutes before the sun goes.

Tips from Duck Creek

Start after breakfast, not at dawn. Cedar Breaks does not need an alarm. The trails are never crowded and the lots have room all day; the one exception is Sunset View at sunset.
Altitude matters. Even if you hiked hard at Bryce yesterday, you are now 2,000 feet higher. Water, a slower pace, and permission to stop.
Afternoon storms. July and August bring thunderstorms over the plateau most afternoons. If clouds are building, head for the car; lightning on the exposed rim is the real hazard here.
Layer up. Mornings and evenings can be in the 40s at the rim even in July. A warm layer and a wind shell are the difference between a good walk and a short one.
Wildflowers peak in early to mid July. If you can time it, the meadows on the Alpine Pond loop are the best on the mountain. Our wildflower guide has the calendar.
No water in the park. As of this writing the monument has no potable water. Fill bottles at the inn.

Winter hiking

When Highway 148 closes, usually from mid November to mid or late May, Cedar Breaks belongs to snowshoes, skis and snowmobiles. The plowing stops at the Highway 14 junction, 3.5 miles from Point Supreme, and the marked snowmobile route follows the closed road between orange poles; travel off it is prohibited to protect the meadows. The National Park Service leads guided snowshoe walks on select winter weekends. It is a different monument, white and silent and empty, and a worthwhile day from the inn if you have the gear and the weather. Our winter guide covers rentals and the rest of the mountain.

Stay planning

A hiking morning at Cedar Breaks pairs naturally with a bigger park day at Bryce Canyon or Zion later in the week. For lower, shadier trails on the way back down the mountain, see hiking near Duck Creek: Cascade Falls, the Navajo Lake loop and the Virgin River Rim Trail all start within 20 minutes of the village. Use Plan Your Days to build the itinerary and compare our rooms and cabins; Cedar Breaks is close enough that you are back for lunch.

Reviewed September 2026

Why trust this guide

We hike these trails from the inn every summer. Distances, elevations and trail points follow the National Park Service and its places data (Spectra Point, Ramparts at 9,952 ft, the Bartizan at 9,725 ft); the bristlecone ages and the pet and water rules are the park's. Snow and mud linger on the dirt trails into June, so check the NPS conditions page before you go.